Construction of brief cases or the like



April 13, 1954 J. WAGNER 2,675,041

CONSTRUCTION oF BRIEF cAsEs 0R THE LIKE Filed May 29, 1952 NvENToR 26fbyNm-TE F G '4 TTORNEY Patented Apr. 13, 195.4

PATENT OFFICE CONSTRUCTION opname oAsEs on 'rim LIKE Jacob Wagner,Chicago, Ill. Application May 29, 1952, serial No. 290;715

`4 Claims.

` This invention "relates to bags such as brief cases. y 1 A e Oneobject of this invention is to provide a lsteel-like spring, between theouter leather covering'of a lock ap and the under covering therejof withone end of said spring flap riveted to the 'metal fratrie of a briefcase, travelling bag, valiseor the like. and with the other end of saidspring riveted to a metal Ahasp on the end `of the Said flap. :Such`constructin provides a fiap lxxfhi'ch 'will bend out of normal positionand will automaticall'yA spring open, upon releasing the latch mechanismwherein said iiaps hasp nts, and `'springuback to normal position.

`Another object of Vthis invention is to provide adevice of thecharacter hereinbefore mentioned which will prevent bendingfo'r warpingof the metal 4frame to which the same is Vattached due to overstrainplaced on the `frame from excess Weightfthelrein. Y

Still'another'objectof this 'invention is to prorvide a device ashereinbefore mentioned which will prevent bulging of the bag and unduedistortio'n 'therefrom at the top portion of the outer walls of the baglto which the instant invention is attached. e V

Stillanother object of this invention is to provide a device ashereinbefo're described which will automatically springopen the metaljaws, to which "it is attached when 'the latch in which the ilapsha'spfits, 'is unlocked.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a strong, durablespring-latch assembly of the character described, which shall berelatively inexpensive to use, easy to assemble and practical andefficient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which thescope of invention will be indicated, in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown lvarious illustrativeembodiments of this invention:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a brief case, embodying the invention,and with parts therein eut away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the brief case with theflap extended; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the flap on the line4-4.

A2 Referring now in detail 'to the drawing, i0 designates a brief caseof conventional construction, comprising front 'and rear leather panelwalls II and "I2 interconnected by'expansibleand `contractible leatherend Walls lI3 and I4 and bot tom wall I5.

Attached to the top of the `uppe'redges or" the front and rear walls 'IIand SI2 is "a conventional jaw type frame l5. comprising -a'n innerlower U-shaped frame I6 and an outer Vor upper U shaped frame I'l. Saidframe i6, `is surrounded along its entire length by leather "sheetingi3, secured to the top of front wall II, by lstitching I9. Said frameIl, is surrounded along its entire length by leather sheeting `20.

interposed yat one `portion 'between said covered U-shaped frame I1 andrear wall I2, isa nap 22 having an end 2l and said leather sheeting -23surrounding U-shaped frame I'l,rearwall I2 and end ZI of flap 22 aresecuredltogether -by-stitching 23. Said covered U-shaped frames I6 andI'l overlap each other andare pivotally connected at their ends by rivet24,'it being understood that frames I5 and I1 are attachedto said endwalls lI3 and Ill by their respective lines `'of stitching I' and 23 inthe manner described above.

Said flap comprising an outer leather wail 24a and an inner leather wall25 and a steel spring 26 interposed between said walls 24a and 25. Saidwalls 24a and 25 being 'secured together at `their outer 'edges bystitching 26a Vand being secured near end` '2l of 'nap 22 together withinterposed steel spring 26, underlying U-shaped frame I'I, and portion21 of leather sheeting 20, interposed between said frame I1 and wall 25,by rivet 2B. A conventional hasp 29 being at the other end of flap 22and surrounding the ends of walls 24a and 25, and :being secured to saidwalls 24a, 25 and interposed steel strip 26 by rivet 3U. A leatherprotector tabl 3l being narrower than and underlying said flap 22, andsaid tab 3|. leather s-'heeting I8 and interposed top of front wall,being secured by the said line of stitching.

Said hasp 29, having a keeper 32. A conventional latch mechanism 33 withconventional locking means 33a therein being secured to front Wall I Iand being associated with said keeper 32.

Said brief case I0 comprising also a conventional handle 34 being of anydesired shape or size and being attached to the outer frame I1, andconventional partition walls 35 and 3B longitudinally dividing theinterior of brief case I0.

It will be noted that as pressure is` applied to latch mechanism 33 tounlock the same. ap 22 due to the resilient spring action of member 26automatically pulls the keeper 32 of the hasp 29 out of said lockmechanism 33 and springs back to its normal straight position, at thesame time spreading the jaws I6 and Il slightly apart so as tofacilitate access to the interior of brief case lil.

It will be seen that there is provided a device in which the severalobjects of this invention are achieved and which is Well adapted to meetthe conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as Various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A bag, open at the top, and having a pair of pivoted jaws at the opentop, said jaws comprising metallic members each having a top portion anddownwardly extending arms with the lower ends of the arms of one jawpivoted to the lower ends of the arms of the other jaw, a flap extendingfrom the center of one jaw comprising top and bottom layers of flexiblematerial, a spring member between said layers riveted at one end to thecenter of the top portion of one jaw, a hasp fixed to the free ends ofsaid layers, the ,free end `of said strip spring being riveted to saidmetal hasp, a latching device on said .bag and including means ftoreleasably engage the hasp.

2. In a carrying article comprising front and rea-r Walls and expandibleand contracti-ble bellows-like ends, overlapping jaws pivoted at theirends, a iiap secured to the overlying jaw and having a normal extendedposition in a plane disposed substantially normal to the plane of thejaw and comprising a resilient member therein and locking means at itsfree end, said resilient member overextending the front wall, a latchmechanism having a conventional lock on the front side of the carryingarticle, said flap being caused to lbend out of said normal position tolit into `a latch mechanism and being caused to automatically nip upinto said normal position when said latch mechanism is put in unlatchingposition releasing the nap locking means positioned therein, and saidflap comprising an outer and inner cover with said resilient memberbeing interposed therein, said resilient member being of spring steel,and said covers being secured at their 4. edges, and said flap beingsecured to the overlying jaw :by means of a rivet passing through saidleather covers and said steel spring therein, and said lock mechanism atthe free end of the flap comprising a hasp having a keeper thereon, saidhasp being secured to said ilap by means of a rivet passing through saidhasp, covers and steel spring. Y

3. In an article carryingcase comprising a body having an opening, apair of metal members attached to the body on opposite sides of theopening and movable away from each other to extend the opening in thebag, means to lock the bag comprising a latch mechanism on the body, anoverextending nap having a hasp thereon and a keeper on said hasp, saidap being attached to the .body on one side of the opening and comprisinga central spring member, said spring member being secured at one end tothe hasp and attached at its other end to the metal member at said oneside of said opening, and said keeper fitting into said latch mechanism.

4. A bag comprising a bottom wall, frontl and rear walls extendingupwardly from the bottom wall, and end walls interconnecting said frontand rear walls, a pair of interposed jaw frames attached to the upperends of the front and rear walls and to the upper ends of the end walls,said jaws being adapted to be closed and opened, a flap connected at itsupper end to the center of the jaw of the rear wall, and extendingforwardly therefrom and comprising outer and inner walls, a hasp on thefree end of said ilap, a iatspringv member interposed between the outerand inner walls of said nap and integrally secured at one end to thecenter of said rear jaw member of said bag, and the free end of saidflap with said interposed steel spring being secured to said hasp, andmeans cn the front wall of said bag to releasably engage said hasp, saidflap being adapted to be automatically raised upon releasing the hasp.

References Cited in the file of this patent Y UNITED STATES PATENTSLifton a July 31, 1951

